Mike Johnson backs Epstein files bill despite 'serious deficiencies', claims Senate must amend it
WASHINGTON, DC: House Speaker Mike Johnson claimed on Tuesday, November 18, that he will vote for the Epstein files bill, even though he believes that the legislation contains “serious deficiencies” that the Senate must correct.
“I’m going to vote to move this forward,” Johnson said, predicting that the vote could approach unanimity as Republicans aim to demonstrate support for “maximum transparency.”
But he stressed that GOP lawmakers want the record to show that they expect major changes before the bill becomes law.
Mike Johnson claims the bill has his support but is deeply flawed
Johnson said that he has already communicated his concerns to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and expects the Senate to amend the legislation if it advances.
“I’m very confident that when this moves forward in process… they will take the time methodically to do what we have not been allowed to do in the House,” he claimed, arguing the Senate can fix issues that were impossible to address under the discharge petition procedure.
Mike Johnson warns that the bill could risk victims’ safety
Standing beside a large poster detailing what he described as the “dangers of the discharge petition if not amended,” Johnson repeated his warning that the current bill could inadvertently require the release of sensitive materials like whistleblower identities or investigative information.
He called Tuesday’s vote a “political show vote,” accusing Democrats “and a few others” of using the bill to score points rather than protect victims.
The speaker insisted that the most significant disclosures in the Epstein case have so far come not from legislation but from the House Oversight Committee’s ongoing investigation and materials released by Epstein’s estate.
Johnson allegedly told GOP colleagues in a closed-door meeting that he planned to vote for the bill despite his reservations, signaling an acknowledgment that the effort now has overwhelming Republican backing.
He reiterated his longstanding argument that the effort may be a “moot point,” given the Oversight Committee’s parallel probe, and questioned whether the bill’s current language adequately safeguards survivors.
Thomas Massie claims Trump’s reversal helped the GOP unify
Republican Rep Thomas Massie of Kentucky said President Donald Trump’s new support for releasing the Epstein files has helped unify the party around the bill.
“What he’s doing this week is strengthening his position by coming on board, and we’re glad to have him,” Massie said when asked whether Trump’s shifting stance could hurt him with GOP voters.
Massie said he had not spoken with Trump “in the last few hours” but argued that the president’s reversal has allegedly eased internal tensions and boosted confidence among Republicans pushing for full transparency.
In a press meet on Tuesday, Reps Ro Khanna, Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene appeared alongside the alleged survivors, thanked them for their courage and pledged their continued support for the release of Epstein’s case files.
